Hospitality
by Oro
Summary: The fic Danielle made me write when it was very cold and very late: an unexpected attack on a Sports Night staffer helps bring in conclusions regarding certain feelings.


**The Fic Danielle Made Me Write When it Was Very Late and Very Cold**

Author: Oro

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Aaron's show.

Notes: Danielle is evil.

"Hey," Casey grinned.

"Morning," Dana smiled shyly.

"How are you this morning?"

Dana came to her senses. "What do you want, Casey?"

"Nothing! Really," he chuckled.

"Okay, then." Dana looked up at him. He looked so handsome…she always forgets how handsome he really is.

"What?" He asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No. If you don't like it when people look at you maybe you shouldn't be a sports anchor on **television**, you know."

He laughed. "Okay, well, I just wanted to give you this," He handed her an envelope. "You left it in my office yesterday."

"Thank you very much." She grinned.

"I shall see you, then!" Said Casey, walking towards the door.

"Casey," She said abruptly.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Uh, nothing."

"Okay," He said.

After he left, Dana sighed and kicked herself. Again, she had an urge to tell him how she really felt about him in the middle of a work day and again, fortunately, she managed to overcome that urge. It was getting pretty difficult, though. She wanted to share her feelings with him; he is her best friend and the object of her obvious affection. However, telling him that right there would be totally inappropriate and unprofessional, she knew. She could never find the right words to tell him exactly how she felt, anyway. She knew she needed a battle plan, but she had no idea where to start.

Jeremy finished washing his hands and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He walked towards the door, when suddenly he felt someone pushing him from behind; his chin hit the doorknob and his lip cut open as he fell on the cold, hard bathroom floor. He could feel someone kicking him and hitting him; he tried to scream, but the words wouldn't come. He couldn't breathe. He squinted and saw his broken glasses as well as several bloodstains on the floor. His blood, he thought, as his eyes shut and he fell unconscious.

"…I'm telling you!" Said Casey.

"Nuh uh!" Dan replied.

"Yes!"

"No," Dan shook his head.

"Then what?" Casey started walking towards the men's room.

"Nothing," Dan followed him, "Case, women do not have a special language. Not all of them, anyway."

"I'm saying that Ashley person did," Casey started opening the door, when he felt it bumping into something. He looked inside the room and saw bloodstains and a man lying unconscious on the floor. Jeremy. "Oh my God!" He whispered. "Jeremy! Someone call an ambulance!" he shouted.

"Will he be okay?" Natalie asked the nurse at the ER, Darla, for the tenth time in two hours.

"We don't know yet, honey," Replied Darla patiently. "This might take a while." She added.

"Oh…" Natalie mumbled and continued pacing. She was hysterical when she heard about it, and even more hysterical once she saw him lying there, unconscious. But most of all, she was terrified of the thought he'd die without knowing.

Sunlight shimmered through the semi-closed shutters of the unfamiliar room. Jeremy quickly closed his eyes, and then opened them again. He did that a couple of times, until he got used to the light. His entire body ached. He stared at the ceiling for about ten more minutes, wondering where he was, when the door opened; it was an unfamiliar, redheaded woman.

"Oh, I see you're up!" She said in a cheery voice.

"Uh, yeah…" He muttered as she straightened his pillows.

"I'll tell your pale lady friend. She's been very worried about you, you know!"

"Wh..?"

"Shh…you need to rest." She said.

"Excuse me, uh…"

"Darla. Shh, honey. You've had a rough couple of days. I'll tell the doctor you're awake." She said in that loud, cheery manner. "Okay, you just call me if you need anything!" She smiled and walked out before Jeremy had a chance to open his mouth.

Sitting on a very uncomfortable couch in the waiting room, Natalie found it was a great time to think. She thought about Jeremy. She thanked fate for bringing them together, even for a little while and decided to forgive him for everything he did or will do. She thought about her life…what would it be like without Jeremy? She shook her head. How selfish of me! She thought. This is not about me. It's about Jeremy. For a moment there, she almost even prayed. Almost. She hadn't done that in a while, and, as she reminded herself, she wasn't completely sure anyone would listen. She was skeptical about the entire concept of God and didn't want to pray for herself, for she decided not to be selfish. She again started feeling helpless, when Darla, the nurse, approached her. "Darla," She asked. "Any news?"

"Yup," Darla smiled. "He's up. You can't see him quite yet, but pretty soon you will all be able to see him."

Natalie was overjoyed. "Thank you!" She said, grinning.

"Dana, will you please stop that?" Asked Casey, watching Dana as she paced back and forth in her office.

"No!" She replied.

"Dana, he's right…we're all nervous here anyway." Said Dan.

"Look, I am the only one smart enough to worry about both Natalie and Jeremy. If Jeremy d…doesn't…argh, you know, if anything **happens**, Natalie would be lost. And as her best friend, I know she will lose her mind and she won't rest until I lose my mind as well. Because that's Natalie, you see. So actually, when we think about it, I have three people to worry about and –" She was interrupted by the phone. She froze and looked at it in a puzzled expression. She stood like that for a few seconds, when she realized someone had to actually answer it. She slowly reached for the phone, when Casey abruptly picked it up himself.

"Hello?" He asked. "Natalie?" Pause. "Yes! Alright, I'll tell everyone. We've all been worried sick about him. Dana's been driving us all nuts. Yes. Yes. Okay. Tell him we all said hi! Okay. Bye!" Casey hung up. "Hey, guess what." He grinned.

"Hey, guys!" Natalie greeted Dan and Dana. "Where's Casey?"

"He had to go pick up Charlie from school," Said Dana, shaking her head.

"Dana…" Dan said warningly.

"Okay, okay," Replied Dana. "Anyway…have you seen Jeremy yet?" She asked Natalie.

"No, not yet." Natalie sighed. "The doctor said he needs his rest and we shouldn't bother him."

"When was that?" Asked Dana.

"About an hour ago."

"Well, maybe things have changed."

"And maybe things haven't changed." Said Dan. He wanted to have a little talk with Natalie.

"Well, I'm gonna ask this nice nurse now." Dana stood up and pointed at Darla.

"Go ahead." Said Natalie.

"How are you?" Asked Dan after Dana went to talk to Darla.

"I'm fine – a bit tired, but happy." She smiled.

"You sure?"

"Yes, Dan, I really am fine."

"Good." He smiled back.

They both watched Dana as she came back from the nurses' station. She had put on her lousy poker face – "Well, guess what." She said.

"What?" Asked Dan, amused.

"Things have changed!" She smiled.

Natalie yawned. She's been sitting next to Jeremy's bed for over six hours. He'd been asleep for quite a while. Dan and Dana kept her company until about 7 PM, but they both had to go back to work. Natalie suggested she'd come back as well, but they both insisted she'd stay there with Jeremy. She looked at him; he seemed so peaceful…yet so helpless, as his face twisted in pain whenever he tried to move. He moaned in his sleep and Natalie figured his painkillers must be wearing off. He should be waking up pretty soon, she thought. She felt sorry for him; she had contacted the police but whoever did that to Jeremy was pretty good and left no tracks whatsoever. They said they figured the guy used gloves; Natalie didn't care. She wanted to find those people and make them pay. She imagined at least a hundred different scenarios on finding them and killing them or torturing them or literally making them pay. Then she got bored. And her foot fell asleep. So she went out to wander the halls a little bit and get a snack.

Fortunately for her, there was a sandwich machine right down the hall. She searched her bag for some loose change, gathering all of her coins together. She decided to have a cheese sandwich, seeing as this was the only one who didn't seem absolutely disgusting and smelly. Penny after penny, she got enough money for a sandwich and juice. Her bag felt a whole lot lighter, and she inserted the coins into the sandwich machine one after another. Her foot felt like an extra load, as though it was under a thousand warm towels and completely useless. She was stomping her foot, and just as the cold sensation of a foot waking up came to her, she felt someone touching her shoulder. She turned around to see Dana. "Hey," she said. "What are you doing here? It's really late."

"Yes, I know. You should go home, Nat." Dana said.

"But—" Natalie tried to protest.

"No buts. You're coming with me. You can go back here tomorrow morning."

"It **is** tomorrow morning, Dana."

"Okay… then… later this morning. You need your rest. You losing your mind due to sleep deprivation won't do Jeremy any good. You can stay with me tonight."

"Thanks, hun." Natalie sighed. "I guess I should go. I had nearly fallen asleep earlier anyhow, and your couch would be much more comfortable."

"Good girl." Dana smiled. "Now go get your stuff."

Dana's couch was not more comfortable. Actually, it offered very little comfort and a lot of effort on Natalie's side. Odd things seemed to have been stuck inside the couch, puncturing Natalie's back every time she attempted to move. At a point, she became insane with worry for Jeremy and lack of sleep, so she simply stuck her hand inside the couch and started pulling out the various things that were bothering her at the time; she did find treasures. She was certain she'd fallen asleep when suddenly she noticed she was conscious and thinking about how cute Jeremy was whenever he'd flinch from the pain of his wounds in his sleep. Natalie was on the verge of mentally hitting herself when she heard the door open and Dana letting somebody into the apartment.

"Hey, Casey," Dana whispered so that Natalie wouldn't wake up.

"Hey," he whispered back, "how is she?"

"I think she's fine, considering… she's exhausted."

"Yeah," was Casey's brilliant response.

"Listen, as long as you're here, I think I would like to talk to you about something." Dana's breath caught in her lungs as she said those words. She wasn't ready. She was being whimsical. She had to stop. Stop. Now. Stop now was what she needed to do.

"What is it?" Casey's eyes softened as he looked at Dana sink into utter panic.

"Nothing," was all she came up with as to hide the mistake she almost made.

"Didn't seem like nothing."

"Well it was," Dana quietly snapped at him.

"Dana…"

"Casey, really, it was nothing." She hissed.

Casey just decided to go with his instincts when dealing with Crazy Lady, as he was now referring Dana in his mind. He lay his arms on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "I think you could use a night's sleep yourself, there."

Dana automatically sunk her head onto his chest. It was so nice. So Casey. It smelled like Casey. Not too much, though. Because that would be icky. It had the perfect amount of Casey scent, which was perfect for her at that particular moment. "Mmm. Maybe." She closed her eyes.

Casey couldn't get over the thought that something really nice, something new and exciting was happening there, and he tightened his embrace. Suddenly, Dana lifted her head to look at him, and even in the darkness, her eyes had never been so similar to the ocean. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

She didn't believe it. She was about to reveal her true feelings towards him, but he had basically done it for her. Or has he? Has he really? Why do men always talk in codes? Can't they just be normal people, like women, or other men she wasn't interested in? Not that she had any love interests besides Casey McCall. And maybe George Clooney. George Clooney is sexy. But as Casey kissed her, there was no doubt in her mind about what he meant when he told her that. Because sometimes actions mean a hell of a lot more than words do.

Their kiss deepened, their tongues exploring each other's mouths as they've been longing to do for the past 16 years. It was everything they imagined it to be and more. It wasn't a regular first kiss. It was a first first kiss. The first in a series of kisses which at a point became more than just kisses, and as Casey and Dana furiously began to clear out her bed, still locked in a kiss, their injured friend was not at all on their minds.

Jeremy squinted at the morning light which attacked him the minute he woke up. His body ached whenever he breathed, and he prayed for the blessed arrival of some fine painkillers. Looking around, he saw evidence of his friends' visits to him: candy wrappers, a half-empty bottle of water, crumpled papers, notes that had lame puns scribbled on them and several trashcans next to the door, evidence to a somewhat disturbing game of trashcan basketball. Jeremy smiled until he remembered that was quite painful as well. So he stopped doing that.

A huge bouquet of flowers was placed in a vase that stood on the nightstand next to his bed. Next to it laid a note, and Jeremy boldly reached out his arm to grab it. It was from Natalie, and she didn't write much but did add a little smiley face at the end. Jeremy resisted smiling at the sight of that, and instead sighed. He missed Natalie. They should never have broken up, he sees that now. It was just pettiness, or something, that was keeping them from achieving the happiness he truly believe they both deserved. Then suddenly, out of the blue, someone softly knocked on his door.

"Yeah?" He said weakly.

The door opened; it was Natalie, looking tired but happy to see him. "You look awful," she grinned.

"Thanks, Nat."

"I'm glad you're up," her voice softened, a momentary shine to her eyes. "You're quite boring when you're asleep."

"Am I?" He asked, a painful flirtatious smile on his lips. "Ow."

"Jeremy? Are you alright?" Natalie's eyes became worried and she rushed over to his bed.

"No, I'm okay. It's the smiling thing." He explained weakly.

"I'm sorry." Natalie blushed with guilt.

Jeremy's hand reached out to touch Natalie's cheek. "Don't worry about it," he said.

"I am," Natalie fought the urge to close her eyes at his touch. Or kiss him. Or confess her undying love for him. Or have wild animal sex with him, right there on his hospital bed.

"It's alright."

"Jeremy…" she started, "I-we need to talk."

"I know," he replied, his eyes not leaving hers.

"When I thought you… when you… yeah," she stabled her voice, "I did some thinking, you know? About my life, about what we used to have and the way we are now, and the way I would be without you and all sorts of things."

Jeremy's expression became hopeful. "You did? I did… certain thinking… you know, too."

Natalie smiled. "Yeah?" she asked, "about me?"

"Yes."

Natalie lowered her head to him until her lips met his. They kissed, making up for all the pain they'd been through and all the time they spent apart from each other; for a moment, it seemed as though there was none, as though they'd always been that way and always will be.

As the kiss broke, Jeremy cleared his throat. "Natalie," he licked his lips, tasting her on them, "I need you. I can't… I don't want to be on my own. I think we could both be happy together, I think I can make you happy, if you'll have me."

Natalie's eyes widened. "Dude!" she said, "I mean, of course!" She began kissing him again, overflowed with positive, loving feelings.

"Ow, ow, pain, ow!" was all Jeremy was able to say.

She immediately stopped, blushing. "Sorry," she giggled.

"You look tired, hun," Jeremy suddenly noticed.

"Yeah," Natalie frowned. "I had to spend the night on Dana's couch, and Casey came at midnight and all that loud sex kept me up all night."

Jeremy just looked at her sympathetically.

FIN


End file.
